St. Luke's Pettee wins FAA singles crown

Tom Forde, Correspondent

Published
3:58 pm EDT, Tuesday, May 18, 2010

GREENWICH -- When the best of the best in the FAA took to the courts Monday at Sacred Heart for the girls tennis singles tournament, there was plenty of talent to go around. With each team in the league bringing their top players to compete, the afternoon proved be a showcase of great talent and spirited competition.

In the end there could only be one winner, and the star the shined the best and brightest was the tournament's No. 1 seed, Katherine Pettee from St. Luke's. Pettee won four straight matches to claim the crown, capping off her championship run with a 6-1 victory over Greens Farms Academy freshman Olivia Kjorlien in the finals.

It's a championship the St. Luke's junior cherishes because she understands just how difficult and physically exhausting the tournament can be.

"This means so much to me personally because I've struggled in this tournament in the past," Pettee said. "It's really not easy to win four matches in a row especially against such strong competition. Everyone of my opponents made me work hard and there were certainly no easy matches today."

The highlight match of the afternoon came in the semifinals when Pettee and Convent of the Scared Heart ace Krystyna Miles pushed one another to the limit in a classic that was decided in a tiebreaker and eventually won by Pettee 7-6 (4). The match however was not without it's share of controversy as both players disputed crucial line calls by the other.

"I'd like to think that disputes like that are just a product of being in the heat of the moment and not a part of our game," St. Luke's head coach Brinley Ehlers said. "Sometimes in big moments like this emotion can get the best of players."

But the semifinal disagreement didn't put a damper on the title for Pettee, who is already looking forward to defending it in her senior year.

"I'm definitely looking forward to coming back next year and defending the championship," Pettee said. "Seeing how many talented young players there were out there today and knowing they are only going to get better next season will make it a good challenge."

Two of those young up-and-coming stars of the league faced off in the other semifinal between Kjorlien and fellow freshman Sammy Berenblum of Greenwich Academy.

Despite falling 6-3 and one match shy of the finals Berenblum walks away with found memories.

"There wasn't that much pressure on me as a freshman entering this tournament, but I'm proud to see how much I've improved from the beginning of the season to this point," Berenblum said. "It's really an honor to compete in this tournament and I know the experience of going up against such talented players will serve me well as I move forward into next season."

To see Berenblum develop was a great parting gift for GA coach Karen Miller, who will be stepping down after Tuesday's double tournament, also at CSH.

"It has been truly amazing to watch her play because the harder the match the better she played," Miller said. "Her maturity on the court has improved so much throughout the season. Playing No. 1 as a freshman is pretty amazing and her future is definitely a bright one."

The same could be said for the future of the FAA as a whole.

"The FAA is very competitive and the level of play continues to improve every year," Ehlers said. "The beautiful thing about the game of tennis is that on any given day anyone can win. Most of the days that was the case this season in the league and next season should be just as competitive."